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Outdoor Living, Outdoor Rooms

Luxury Outdoor Rooms - When Outdoor Living Feels Like This, You Don't Want To Come Inside

One of the reasons that outdoor rooms are becoming so popular is because outdoor living has such a positive influence on our lives. It’s certainly true for me. Being outside lifts me up, centers me, helps me find my peace. A stroll through my yard on a sunny day, with the sounds of birdsong and windchimes floating in the air, can clarify what’s important in my life. And what’s not.

 

Tepee Primitive Shelter

Although spending time outside is something people have always done, the concept of choosing outdoor living as a major part of our lifestyles is fairly new.  There was a time,  not so very long ago, that life truly was “nasty, brutish and short”, as Thomas Hobbes so bluntly put it.

In this country, Native Americans, pioneers and even the legendary mountain men strove to find ways to create outdoor living spaces for themselves that would provide food, shelter and possibly just a modicum of comfort.

 

In the early days of home ownership in America, if people spent time in their own yards, it was mostly to cultivate the land for growing food and feeding their families.  Perhaps there was a bit of a garden that might have included some flowers along with the herbs and vegetables.  The area leading up to a house’s doors was usually hard packed dirt.  We didn’t even have lawns until late in the 18th century!

 

The Beginning of Lawns & Lawn Care

Sustainable Lawn Management

We can thank the Department of Agriculture and the US Golf Association for their joint effort to cultivate grass that would provide us with sustainable, attractive lawns.  Back in the day, many folks would simply keep goats or sheep to manage the height of their grass.  Lucky for us, the rotary lawn mower had already been invented and was being manufactured in America by the late 1800s.  And the garden hose was simply an offshoot of the fire hose, which had been around since the mid 1600s.  That makes it a lot easier than having to haul buckets of water up from the well to splash on the grass, don’t ya think?

 

Still, Americans weren’t much into lawns or what we now call “curb appeal” back then.  But another big round of applause goes to the American Garden Club, which held contests and otherwise promoted the maintenance of healthy and attractive lawns.  And once that idea caught on, off we went!  Now that we had a pretty patch of green in front of our homes, it was a short leap to the addition of color and design with various forms of nature, structural and decorative elements.

 

The Front Porch

Early Outdoor Room

 

With the rise in popularity of the front porch in the mid 1800s, Americans were afforded the opportunity to relax just outside of their own homes in comfort, a sweater or hat only steps away, to savor the fresh air and the sights and sounds of nature.  The front porch was a place to sit and chat, enjoy a cool drink on a hot day, catch up on the comings and goings of neighbors and friends, and just watch the world go by.  We didn’t know it yet, but the concept of the outdoor room had begun to entice us.

 

It was technology that interrupted our desire to enjoy our outdoor spaces.  Because once the radio, and then the television exploded into our lives, we were back inside again, fascinated by the sounds and sights of those mystical boxes.  After all, we’d been breathing fresh air for millennia and here science was advancing at speeds we could never have imagined – how could we resist being fascinated?

 

It should come as no surprise then, that technology has played a large part in getting us back outside.  Although many of us have often enjoyed sitting in our yards on a beautiful summer day at a picnic table or on a few lawn chairs while the burgers and dogs cooked up on the grill, we’ve still had the tendency to want to get back inside to catch the game, get in some computer time, maybe catch up on a few Zzzzs – you know what I’m talking about.   However with the advent of the laptop, handheld mobile devices and even outdoor flatscreen TVs, we have slowly but surely begun to move back outside.

Outdoor Room With Fireplace and Flatscreen Television

We’re staying outside longer too, because spending lots of time in our yards has become so much more appealing.  We not only have decks and patios, we’re also creating top of the line outdoor kitchens, outdoor living rooms, outdoor playrooms and outdoor offices. Then we’re adding even more enticing yard features like fire features, water features, inviting pathways leading to secret gardens, gazebos, pergolas – the concepts are endless and wonderful. We’ve even got outdoor heaters to extend our outside living time for as long as possible.

It’s not just getting out into the fresh air that’s good for us, either.  Creating and maintaining our outdoor spaces is invigorating.  There are times that I’d be inclined to relax and not be so diligent about housework if I were inside, but when I’m outside, doing yardwork comes naturally.  I get exercise and increased endorphins from caring for my outdoor spaces. And I feel better physically, mentally and spiritually.  Outdoor living and all it entails is my therapy.  And considering the fact that last year, U.S. homeowners spent more than $17 billion on outdoor home improvement, I’m not the only one enjoying the phenomenon.

Related posts:

  1. How to Separate Your Yard Into Outdoor Rooms
  2. Outdoor Rooms 101
About the Author

Diana Manning
Find out why My Yard Rocks!

Comments

  1. Kathryn says:
    November 14, 2010 at 7:30 am

    Hi Diana

    I love your website! We have an amazing outdoor room and I really should spend more time in it. We have a new outdoor kitchen……does a barbeque qualify as an outdoor kitchen? I think so :) Our Australian summers can get quite hot so we tend to stay indoors, but you’ve inspired me to make a bit more of an effort!

    Cheers

    Kathryn

    Reply
    • Diana Manning says:
      November 12, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      Hey Kathryn,

      Thanks so much for your kind words. How would you like to showcase your amazing outdoor room on MyYardRocks.com? I have a Featured Yards section of the site in which readers can share stories and images of their great outdoor spaces. Take a look: http://www.myyardrocks.com/show-off-your-yard/

      Think about creating some deep shade in an area where you’d like to spend more time. You can actually take the outside temperature down 10 to 15 degrees in a very shaded area.

      Regards,

      Diana

      Reply
  2. Ruth says:
    January 25, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    Diana
    I happened on to your website quite by accident. It started with a greeting card by an artist who shares your name. As I am a Southern California girl now living in the desert where we have a 365 day growing season and for half of the year it is comfortable to be outside your website caught my eye. Currently I am planning an acre of edible and medicinal play ground filled with art and examples of physics for fun. I look forward to communicating in the future. It is enjoyable to connect with people who share a commitment to outside living.

    Ruth

    Reply
  3. Monja says:
    April 15, 2011 at 2:16 am

    hi diana,
    really love your site and wow what an outdoor room, wish i had just a garden but for sure such a place to be! hopefully soon, it looks amazing. thanks for sharing your tips!

    Reply
  4. Danielle leland says:
    April 20, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Hi Diana!

    I love the site!

    Reply

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